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By Myke Agunwa
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has queried a letter dated May 30, 2025 with Reference Number: PDP/DOM/GF.21/Vol.13/25-078 sent to its headquarters by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) notifying it of its 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting as it was not signed by the party’s National Secretary.
The letter with the title: “Notice of 100th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)” was signed only by its Acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum.
The letter was to draw the attention of the commission to the 100th NEC of the party slated to hold on the 30th of June, 2025 at the party’s headquarters, Wuse Abuja.
It has been a tradition that any correspondent to be sent to the commission should be signed by the National Chairman and Secretary of the party. If there is need for another party official to sign the letter, then INEC must he informed officially about that was not the case in the stated letter.
However, the Commission in a letter dated 13th June, 2025 and signed by the Commissions Acting Secretary, Haliru Aminu, observed that the letter was only signed by the National Chairman.
The letter reads, “RE: NOTICE OF 100TH NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (NEC) MEETING OF THE PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY(PDP).
“Your Letter on the above subject refers.
“The Commission draws your attention that the notice is not in compliance with the requirement of part 2(12)3 of the Regulations and Guidelines for Political Parties, 2022 that provides ‘the National Chairman and National Secretary of the Party shall jointly sign the notice of convention, congress, conference or meeting and submit same to the Commission. Be guided.
“Please accept the Assurance of the Commission’s high regards.”
Recall that the office of the National Secretary of the PDP, has been in contention with Sen. Samuel Anyanwu and Hon. Sunday Ude-Okoye laying claim to the same office.
The south-East zone is agitating that Sen. Anyanwu ought to have resigned after he won the governorship primary election for Imo state and appointed Ude-Okoye to take over his position. While Anyanwu maintains that he did not resign and that there is no provision in the party’s guidelines that mandates him to resign, the zone threatened to renegotiate their relationship with the party if Ude-Okoye is not handed over the secretariat of the party.
The South-East also went to court to enforce its decision but court declined jurisdiction and ordered political parties to use its internal conflict resolution mechanism to settle its problems.
The party however, appointed the Deputy National Secretary, Arch. Setonji Koshoedoto act while the matter is being addressed.
With the development, the possibility of the party holding the proposed NEC and even a national convention is very uncertain, as Anyanwu who is already aggrieved, is unwilling to convene any meeting where his fate will be sealed.